Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the liquidation of Scottish Soft Fruit Growers, it will encourage any new organisation to take over responsibility for its freezing and packing plant and, if not, what plans there are for the future of the plant’s processing equipment.

Ross Finnie: Disposal of the assets of SSFG is a matter for the appointed liquidator. However, I hope that a buyer will be forthcoming for the freezing and packing plant and that it will continue to be used for the benefit of the soft fruit industry in Scotland.

Agriculture

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fruit growers it anticipates will leave the industry following the liquidation of Scottish Soft Fruit Growers.

Ross Finnie: The future plans of each individual grower is a matter for them. There are other organisations to which growers may be able to commit their fruit and I understand that a successor body to SSFG is in the process of being established.

Agriculture

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the liquidation of Scottish Soft Fruit Growers will affect plans to establish a pilot Scottish Berry Project in Tayside.

Ross Finnie: A revised proposal for a pilot project from the Scottish Berry Group was received by the Scottish Executive recently and this is currently under consideration. It is for the Group to consider the implications of the liquidation of Scottish Soft Fruit Growers for the project, and to make any adjustments it considers necessary.

Boundary Walls

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15753 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 July 2001, whether the research on boundary walls conducted by the Scottish Law Commission in 1990 was carried out by a student who was a temporary member of staff.

Iain Gray: I can confirm that the research in question was conducted by a student employed on a temporary basis by the Scottish Law Commission.

Boundary Walls

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15753 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 July 2001, whether it will make the research report on the law on boundary division walls, compiled for the Scottish Law Commission in 1990, available to any member of the public on request.

Iain Gray: As the report was an internal working paper produced by the Scottish Law Commission, the Executive does not have a copy and it would not be for the Executive to decide whether to make it available to the public. I understand that such working papers do not contain proposals for public consultation, but provide internal advice to Commissioners; and that it is not the practice of the Commission to make such papers available to the public.

Boundary Walls

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15753 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 July 2001, whether it is aware that the Scottish Law Commission, in its consultation paper on boundary walls of June 1992, agreed with the research report of 1990 and concluded that case law on boundary division walls consisted of contradictory lines of decision and was in a state of confusion.

Iain Gray: The consultation paper did not comment on the research report in such terms, but only noted inconsistencies between older and more recent court decisions. The relevant consideration is that the Commission recommended in its final report published on 25 March 1998 that it was not necessary to introduce legislation either to reform or restate the existing law on boundary walls. Ministers considered the recommendation at that time and also concluded that no legislation was necessary on boundary division walls. The Executive agrees with that conclusion.

Education

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children in primaries 1, 2 and 3 were in composite classes in 2000-01 and how many it anticipates will be in such classes in 2001-02.

Nicol Stephen: The numbers of primary 1 to primary 3 children in publicly funded primaries in composite classes in 2000-01 are set out in the table. Decisions on the allocation of pupils to classes are matters for local authorities and no central projections are made of the number of pupils in such classes.

  


Stage 
  

Number of Pupils 
  



P1 
  

9,128 
  



P2 
  

14,756 
  



P3 
  

14,520 
  



Total 
  

38,404

Education

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be an increase in the number of composite classes in primaries 1, 2 and 3 as a result of its policy to reduce the maximum class size to 30 in those year groups.

Nicol Stephen: The formation of classes in schools is a matter for education authorities taking account of local circumstances. Class formation is likely to be influenced by a number of factors including pupil numbers, class size maxima, the capacity of rooms and the staff available. No projections are made centrally of the numbers of composite classes likely to be formed.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is seeking a ban on industrial fishing as part of the review of the Common Fisheries Policy or through any other forum.

Rhona Brankin: A decision to ban or limit industrial fishing must be based on scientific evidence. We are working with colleagues in DEFRA to establish the impact of the industrial fisheries on the marine ecosystem, both in terms of bycatch of other fish and the importance of sandeels as a food source for other species. We have had useful discussions with Danish fisheries managers. We have also placed observers on Danish vessels and at Danish ports. We are currently analysing the collected data and we intend to meet again with Danish managers in due course.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to set up a joint Executive/Scottish Federation of Housing Associations working group to look into the need for an alternative funding mechanism for major repairs following the repeal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988.

Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive has agreed to set up a joint Executive/SFHA working group to look at the detailed impact of the withdrawal of Section 54 (tax relief grant) on housing associations.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the operative date of the repeal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988 will be.

Jackie Baillie: Section 54 of the Housing Act 1988 will be repealed no earlier than April 2005.

Teacher Training

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16022 by Mr Jack McConnell on 13 June 2001, whether any institutions offer a part-time course for qualification as a primary school teacher that is recognised by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and, if not, whether it will take steps to ensure that such a course is provided.

Mr Jack McConnell: A part-time Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) primary course at Strathclyde University, accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and approved by the Scottish Executive, will be piloted in session 2001-02.

  A key feature of this part-time route is a formal agreement with four local authorities in the west of Scotland (Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirling) to recommend and sponsor students from their non-teacher school employees. The first cohort in session 2001-02 will have 20 students.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Recycling

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Presiding Officer what steps are being taken to make the Parliament more environmentally sustainable in the light of the "Do a Little – Change a Lot" campaign of the Scottish Executive, whether there is any member of staff with responsibility for promoting environmental sustainability and, if so, what their remit is.

Sir David Steel: The Parliament’s Procurement Office is developing an environmental procurement policy which aims to minimise the adverse impacts on the environment through effective environmental purchasing. The Facilities Management Office is currently developing an environmental intranet page ‘Help Manage Your Environment’ which aims to raise staff awareness of the three R’s: reduce, re-use and recycle.

  No sole member of staff at present has specific responsibility for promoting environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, an environmental working group made up of staff from across the Parliament group considers environmental issues relevant to the parliament and ways in which to raise staff awareness and promote sustainability.